Floral Spray Bracelet

Frank Patania, Sr., Floral Spray Bracelet, ca. 1950, burnham turquoise and fabricated sterling silver, 4 x 3 x 2 ¹⁄₂ in. (10.2 x 7.6 x 6.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Patania Family, 2000.100.1

Artwork Details

Title: Floral Spray Bracelet
Artist: Frank Patania, Sr.
Date: ca. 1950
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 4 x 3 x 2 ¹⁄₂ in. (10.2 x 7.6 x 6.4 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the Patania Family
Mediums Description: burnham turquoise and fabricated sterling silver
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Subjects: Object — flower
Object Number: 2000.100.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2000.100.1

Artwork Description

Floral Spray Bracelet exemplifies the “Patania Thunderbird” style, which is a synthesis of European and Native American traditions. In materials and geometry, the bracelet shows the influence of Pueblo and Navajo jewelry, as well as the larger scale that Patania adopted after his encounter with southwestern craftsmen. According to his son, metalsmith Frank Patania Jr., the native techniques “got his thinking away from the very fine, precise platinum works Back East into something bolder and more powerful.”